At the age of sixteen I got a job at a movie theater. It turned out to be a fantastic place to work for teens and was one of the most fun filled experiences of my early years.

A teen job at a movie theater is great for a student because the work hours typically fit pretty well with school schedules. The busiest hours at theaters are in the early evening and on weekends, when school is not in session, so teens are available to work.

The first teen job position they put me in was Ticket Taker. That’s the guy who stands at the little podium, asks for your tickets, tears them in half, and tells you which way to go to find your movie. It’s not a hard job by any stretch of the imagination. My boss liked the work I did there because I kept myself clean and presentable and I smiled all the time. So when customers walked in I created a good first impression for them. I also made sure to encourage people to stop at the concession stand first and buy some goodies. I would usually say something like, “Hi. Your movie is in theater 7. We just popped a fresh batch of popcorn, so grab a bag of that and enjoy your show.” It may sound corny to you now, but my boss loved it. And it never hurts to have the boss happy with you.

My next teen job post was as a helper in the concession stand. I would stand beside one of the cashiers and listen to what each customer was ordering. Then I would run and grab it. I filled bags with popcorn, filled cups with Coke, and fetched bags of M&Ms and Milk Duds. So by the time the cashier had finished counting out the change for the customer, all of their snacks were sitting on the counter ready to go. The Manager of the theater would give a prize (usually passes to get friends in for free movies) to the two-person team that sold the most at the concession stand every night. So there was always a competition to keep our line moving quickly and encourage customers to buy more and bigger stuff.

After a few days, I got a good feel for the concession stand and I started operating the cash register. Again, being clean and presentable and greeting customers with a smile made customers feel warm and fuzzy so they naturally wanted to buy their food from me; which meant I sold more and usually won the nightly competition. It also meant I was valuable to my Manager. So he worked to keep me happy by giving me the hours that I wanted and by not breathing down my neck while I was on the job.

As I continued in my teen job at the movie theater I got several pay raises and bonuses, and I rotated through several other responsibilities. Some nights I would sell tickets in the box office. Some nights I was on clean-up crew (sweeping theaters between movies) which was actually one of the easiest jobs for teens at the theater. I eventually moved into the role of Projectionist, which is the guy who runs the projectors up above the theater. Now that was a cool job for a teenager. I got to watch all of the movies. Because he trusted me not to goof off, my boss would occasionally let me have a friend up there with me (chicks loved it!)

Most of the other employees at the movie theater were teenagers too. So we were all friends and we had a great time. If I was a teenager today, using a Teen Job Finder service to locate a job, I would start by looking at teen jobs in movie theaters. My experiences as a teen in that job were great, and I hope yours will be too.

When a company posts a job opening on a Teen Jobs website they are likely to get hundreds, maybe thousands of resumes. To the person reviewing all of those job applications getting that large number of resumes is a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that somewhere in the huge file of Teen Jobs seekers there will be at least one person who will be a great fit for the job. The bad news is that it’s going to be a whole lot of work to sort through and read every single resume to figure out who that person is.

In reality, the person who receives all of those Teen Jobs applications is very unlikely to actually read them. Chances are they will store all of the teen jobs resumes and teen jobs applications in a database on their computer. Then they will run a search query for specific keywords that they believe will help them find the ideal candidates for their teen jobs.

So how do you optimize your teen jobs resume to make sure that the computer search engine puts your application at the top of the list for Teen Jobs? (This is often referred to as Search Engine Optimization or SEO.) The answer is that you’ve got to load it up with the keywords that the companies with teen jobs are using in their searches.

The best place to start is to read the wording of the teen jobs ad or teen jobs listing that they wrote and posted out on the web. There’s a good chance that the person who writes their teen job listings is also the person who searches through the resumes. So reading their teen job posting will give you some insight into the words they will use in their search query. If you can do this, and customize your resume and cover letter with those specific words for each of the different Teen Jobs you apply to, you’ll greatly increase your odds of getting called in for an interview.

The list below shows a selection of some of the most common keywords that appear in listings for Teen Jobs. Find a way to work these keywords into your resume or application for teen jobs and more employers will take a closer look at you for their teen job openings.

As I write this article for Teen Job Finder it’s just September; but, believe it or not, some employers, especially retail stores and malls, are gearing up for the Christmas Holiday shopping season. They are going to need to hire extra employees, mostly teenagers, for the few weeks leading up to Christmas for two reasons. First, the stores will be packed with shoppers and they’ll need to hire teen workers to stock the shelves, operate the cash registers, help customers find stuff to buy, and keep the place clean. Second, several of their regular employees will want some days off for the holiday and they will need extra people, again mostly teen employees, to fill in.

So if you’re looking for a temporary teen job to get a little extra spending money to buy gifts, malls, big retail stores, and toy stores are great places to look. Or if you want to find long term work that goes beyond just a seasonal teen job, this may be your opportunity to get your foot in the door. Many permanent employees start off as short-term teen employees. They get in on a Christmas Holiday Teen Job and do such great work that their bosses decide to keep them on indefinitely.

Before you start applying for teen jobs, take a few minutes to read these other teen job finder articles so that you have a leg up on the thousands of other teen job finders that will be competing with you in the Christmas Holiday Job market.

Once you’re prepared for your teen job finder search, head out to the local mall. Be prepared to spend some time, because you may have to fill out several applications. Start at the mall office or information center to see if they have a central place where all of the shops post their teen job openings.

Good luck, and check our home page for other valuable teen job finder resources.

If you are the parent of a teenage child who is about to get a job for the first time, there are several things you should do to prepare them and improve their chances of employment success. If you don’t teach them, no one else will.

Here are thirteen powerful lessons to get you started:

1. Professional Look – Your teen may not accept your advice on social fashion and style, and that’s fine. But when it comes to clothing and appearance for the work-place, you should insist on taking the lead. Unless they’re getting a job as a fashion model, a clown, or a rock-star, the object is to blend in and be very conservative, clean, and attractive. Make sure that hair, fingernails, and piercings are all appropriately cleaned and/or concealed if necessary. Clothing should be modest, always clean, always ironed, and always properly fitted and fastened.

2. Make Eye-Contact and Smile – This one is tough for some kids and is no problem for others. But if your teen has not had a whole lot of interaction with adults other than you, you will probably need to work on this one. They need to understand that while they are at work they are stepping into the role of a humble, happy, energetic servant. If they can learn to play this role well, they will go far. When dealing with a customer, the boss, or even a co-worker the servant makes direct eye contact, smiles really big, and happily does whatever they can to help. Experience and wisdom have taught me that, ultimately, the humble, happy servant is the one who succeeds and reaps the rewards.

3. How to Properly Count Back Change – If they’re going to be dealing with money, make sure they know this. Hardly anyone does this any more, and it drives me nuts. You’ve probably all had a cashier who froze under the pressure and became completely incapable of figuring out what to do with the handful of money you just gave them. Here’s the proper method.

a. Announce out-loud how much money is due. Don’t force the customer to read it for themselves.
b. Count the money given to you by the customer, announce the amount out-loud, and get the customer to acknowledge that it’s correct.
c. Take the money given to you by the customer and sit it in a safe, secure spot on or near the cash register. Don’t mix it in with the other money yet because you want to be able to prove to them that they gave you a twenty and not a fifty if the question comes up.
d. Now use the cash register or calculator to subtract the amount due from the amount they gave you and figure out the change.
e. Then, starting with the coins first, count each individual piece of money out loud as you hand it back to the customer. You should count from the original amount due up to the amount they gave you. So if they owed $5.38 and they gave you $20. You would hand them the loose change of $0.62 and say, “that makes six”. Next you would count out 4 one dollar bills to them and say, “that makes seven, eight, nine, and ten”. Finally you would hand them a ten dollar bill and say, “plus ten makes twenty.” So now you’ve started with the amount they owed you and counted out the exact amount of change to add up to the amount they gave you.
f. Now that the transaction is complete, you can safely put the money they gave you into the cash register.
g. Finally, look the customer in the eye and thank them for their business.

5. Look for Things that Need to Be Done – When there is a slow point in the work day, don’t just kick back and relax. You’re still on the clock. Find something productive to do, and your boss will notice. If nothing else, you can always grab a broom.

6. Make Life Easier for the Boss – Too many employees think that the boss does nothing and has life easy. Well I’ve been an employee and I’ve been the boss. I can tell you with certainty that being the boss usually means having a heck-of-a lot more stress. So give the guy a break. Find ways to take work off of the back of the boss. Even if the boss is a jerk, it’s what you’re getting paid to do. Help the boss succeed and look good to his boss, and he will remember you when it comes time to give raises, approve scheduling requests, and give out the good assignments.

7. Make Life Easier for Your Co-Workers – It’s not just the boss that you want to make happy. Give your fellow employees a helping hand when they need it, and they will probably return the favor.

8. Create an Experience that Makes Customers Want to Come Again – Chances are that you’ve been to a restaurant or store and one of the employees made you feel like your being there and wanting to buy something was very inconvenient for them. If you’re anything like me, you don’t want to inconvenience anyone so you leave and never go spend any of your money there again. Teach your teenager not to create that kind of experience. Your teen should be the employee who makes every customer feel welcomed and appreciated, so they want to come back and spend money again and again.

9. Put Others Ahead of Yourself – Park your car in the spaces far away from the door. Open the door for others and let them go first. When passing someone (especially a customer) move out of the way so they can get by first. If you see someone struggling with something, stop what you’re doing and help them.

10. Keep Careful Records – Get your teenager a pocket sized notebook. Teach him to write down work schedules, meeting notes, and keep track of exact times and dates for clocking in and out. Trust me; this will come in handy at some point.

11. Don’t Use Company Resources for Yourself – Unless your boss gives you direct permission, don’t eat the company food, use the company printer, surf the company internet, borrow the company tools, or use anything that doesn’t belong to you for any purpose other than getting your job done. Your company pays you money to be there and do the job. Use that money to get your own food and your own resources.

12. Represent the Company Well, Even When You’re Not There – People in the community will probably recognize you from seeing you at work. If they see you somewhere away from work and you’re being rude, obnoxious, or gross, that will reflect poorly on you and your company. As a young adult and a member of the workforce, you now have a responsibility to act mature and professional in public.

13. Take Pride in Doing a Great Job – This concept is referred to as having a strong Work Ethic. And it’s not extremely common. The rare people who have it are the ones who earn more money and are happier in life. Encourage and foster this in your teenager and you will be doing him or her a big favor.

As a teenager you are in a unique position to get jobs that are really cool and fun. A great example is a job at an amusement park. Theme parks and amusement parks are almost always looking for new talent and they often target their recruiting towards candidates age 14, age 15, age 16, age 17, age 18, and age 19.

The following teen job finder postings were taken from the website of Six Flags / White Water of Atlanta, Georgia. But there are theme parks all over the place, so review these and then check out the parks near you.

** You’ll notice that the jobs that deal with money require you to pass a math test. Don’t worry; they’re not going to get into Calculus or Geometry. They just want to make sure that you will not have a complete nervous breakdown when you have to figure out how much change to give a customer.

Seasonal Admission Attendant: 15 or older
Ticket sales transactions, make change, and provide tickets to Guests. Interact with Guests in a positive manner. Provide Guests with Park information and assistance when needed.
Skills required: Basic literacy and math for guest interaction, equipment use and cash handling respectively. Ability to count and make change from a cash register computer and till bag, work on your feet at all times, and work in an outdoor location. Must be willing to work in all weather conditions. Must pass math test.

Seasonal Merchandise Host/Hostess: 15 or older
Cash handling with or without a register. Stocking and displaying of merchandise. General housekeeping of the unit. Assist guests with purchases. Organizing stockrooms and maintaining a safe environment.
Skills required: Basic math skills to operate cash register and make change accurately. Must be able to work standing up in both indoor and outdoor locations, in all types of weather conditions. Must pass Math test.

Seasonal Lifeguard: 15 or older
Shallow Water Lifeguards will guard water that is 4′ or less in depth. Special Facilities Lifeguards will guard water that is greater than 4′ deep at the Wave Pool. Provide a safe, and clean aquatics facility, by effectively managing attractions and grounds. Actively guard all pools, activity areas and slide attractions per Ellis and Associates protocols. Achieve, receive and maintain Ellis and Associates certification. Adhere to all Ellis and Associates policies and procedures as taught by certified E&A instructor.
Skills required: Must be able to work in all weather conditions. Comfortable in and around water of all temperatures. Must be able to become certified through the Jeff Ellis and Associates National Pool and Waterpark Lifeguard training program. Able to work up to 40 hours per week if needed, including nights, weekends, and varied shifts. Provide a commitment of employment to begin in late May and continue through End of the Season.

Seasonal Park Services Host/Hostess: 15 or older
Maintain cleanliness of the park, including restrooms, patios and streets. Initiate contact with guests in a positive manner by providing information/directions. Empty trash cans and monitor placement, moving when necessary. Assist with other cleaning projects throughout the theme park and water park.
Skills required: Ability to lift a maximum weight of 50-60 lbs and push a maximum weight of 70 lbs. Ability to work both indoors and outdoors in all weather conditions. Must be able to work independently with minimal supervision.

Seasonal Park Operations Host/Hostess: 16 or older
RESTROOM ATTENDANT POSITION: Maintain a high standard of restroom cleanliness. Follow all guidelines and checklists applied to Restroom Cleanliness. Assist with cleaning of patios and sweeping streets. Provide guest-friendly information.
Skills required: Must be able to lift 50-60 lbs and carry 50-60 lbs. Ability to work independently for long periods of time in indoor locations.

I recently asked several hundred recruiters in my network (many of whom have teen jobs available) to send me the advice they would give to teenagers trying to find jobs. Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting their responses. And, if they typically have teen jobs available I’ll post their contact and application information for your benefit.

This first response is from K.P. who is a recruiter in Sydney, Australia. At her request, her contact information has been withheld.

The first piece of advice I would offer to teens who are seeking work would be to continue with their education. Whether it be at university, TAFE (stands for Technical and Further Education institutions. They provide a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary education in Australia. Fields of study include construction, hospitality, engineering, tourism, community work, secretarial skills, computer programming and visual arts.) or a trade school, employers tend to view those who have been able to complete at least tertiary education as more reliable, as it is seen to demonstrate commitment, which is vitally important when you are talking about someone who has limited experience in the workforce. This tends to increase the chance that an employer will offer this person the opportunity to prove themselves, as it is generally believed that they will be more likely to commit to the job offered. (not necessarily true, I know)

- Know what you want to achieve out of your career in the short-term. Whether it be more experience in the workforce, to develop specific skill sets, or to try a certain career path, it is important to know WHY you want to work!

- Always dress to impress, but don’t go over the top!
A suit, or dress pants/skirt with shirt is always the most appropriate option. If you’re not sure of an employer’s dress code, it’s best to be more formally attired than less. Also, makeup (if worn) should be kept simple and as natural as possible.

- Don’t use slang or colloquialisms in interviews
You will be judged on your ability to communicate, and it is bad form to use slang, or swear words for that matter, and you would be surprised how many people fall into this trap – no matter what their age!

- Show respect if you wish to be respected
Be polite and courteous to everyone in the organization, especially the receptionist! People in office environments talk – and you would be amazed at how many people have missed out on roles with various clients because they were rude to the front-of-house staff, even after performing well at interview

- Do your research
Not only does this demonstrate initiative, it shows the employer that you are truly interested in working for their organization, and have an understanding of how you can develop, whilst adding value to their team.

- Ask for feedback
I will never forget the most memorable teen candidate whom I interviewed (only a few weeks back mind you!) who was a little nervous during the process, and I wasn’t completely won over straight away. After the interview ended, they asked me directly for feedback and suggestions on how to improve their technique (which actually caught me off guard!). We had a frank and honest discussion about how their answers could be improved, & what their strong and weak points were. This approach left me with a very positive impression, as they were obviously very serious about finding a role & improving their chances to find work. Less than a week later, I found them long-term employment in the role of their dreams!

- Be yourself!
Don’t go to interviews trying to be someone you are not, as most interviewers will employ techniques which will include the clarification of certain points, as well as behavioural techniques that are designed to pick up on any inconsistencies. and this is not looked upon favourably. In today’s job market, employers are looking for someone who will fit well into their team – and for this reason, it is important to be as honest as you can, especially when it comes to your abilities and expectations, as there is nothing worse on a resume than being employed for a brief period, only to be terminated as a result of a misrepresentation during the selection process. It is better for both parties to be upfront about all aspects in order to ensure the right match is found for everybody.

Thanks to K.P. for her input. Read on to our other posts below and keep checking back for more help in your search for teen jobs.

Don’t blow your chances of getting the job through a teen job finder site by sending an email that looks like it was written by a 7 year old. Since 1993 I’ve hired thousands of people, and I can’t tell you how many emails I’ve received from people (who were supposed to be trying to impress me) that just looked awful and made me immediately decide not to even bother calling them in for an interview.

First and foremost, keep the subject simple. Suitable examples that will work are:

Next, make sure the reader can easily see how to contact you by phone, email, and mail if they want to follow up with you. Do this by posting your contact information in the form of an “address block” at the top of the email. Example:

Open with a respectful greeting like Dear Mr. Jones or Dear Ms. O’Hare. If you don’t know the name of the recipient use Dear Hiring Executive or To Whom it may concern.

Keep the main text of your message short, simple, and professional. For example:

“Please consider me for the Beach Lifeguard position you posted on teenjobfinder.net. My resume is attached for your review and I am available to interview at your convenience.”

Don’t waste time saying stuff like, “Hi my name is” or “I am looking for a job” or “My mom says you should hire me”. Remember, this person is probably reading through a whole bunch of emails to find their new employee. They will appreciate you getting to the point and not wasting their time with unnecessary words for them to read.

Close with a respectful closing. Sincerely, Thank you, Best wishes, and Signed, are all classics that never go out of style.

Then put your first and last name again. (It’s not necessary to put your full, legal, birth name like John Wilhelm Rockefeller Smith the 14th. Just put the name you go by, like John Smith.)

At the bottom, put your phone number (the best one to use) under your name again.

As I’ve stated in other posts, if you have a weird or wacky email address, change it. Hiring managers are more likely to open an email from JSmith@xyzmail.com than from skateboardninja@xyzmail.com.

Also, DO NOT use crazy fonts and colors. Stick with a basic font like Arial or Times New Roman. Use black text and a white background.

And finally, as I will reiterate in many of my posts on this blog, spell check, spell check, spell check, spell check, spell check, spell check, spell check, spell check, proofread three times, have someone else proofread it for you, and then spell check again! It’s easy and will save you from looking stupid to the person you want to give you a job.

In the United States, the Federal Department of Labor does not allow kids under the age of 14 to work as employees (except in very rare cases – like actors). The Department of Labor also puts restrictions on what kinds of jobs workers who are 14 and 15 years of age are allowed to have. If you are 14 or 15 it is illegal for any company (even those using teen job finder services) to hire you to work in any of the following jobs:

And you’ve got to be at least 18 years old to work in:
> transportation of people or property by rail, highway, air, water, pipeline, or other means
> warehousing and storage
> communications and public utilities
> construction (including demolition and repair)
*** 16 and 17 year old teens can work for companies that do these last 4 as long as they are restricted to office work, ticket sales, ticket taking, or other inside sales type work.

This is all for your protection. I’ve personally worked in several of these types of jobs and they are dangerous and just plain hard.

If you find a company using a Teen Job Finder site to recruit for one of these types of jobs you should report the job listing to the webmaster; and you should definitely not apply for it.

America has come a long way since the days when young children worked 14 hour days in dangerous jobs with abusive bosses for pennies per day. Most employers are decent and will look out for your well-being. But there are still companies out there that will try to get away with using you to do something difficult and dangerous for a low wage. Having read this, you now know more than most of the bosses you will ever have.

So just be cautious, be on the lookout while surfing the teen job finder sites, and enjoy a nice safe job while you’re young. There will be plenty of time to get your pinky-toe blown off by a nail-gun when you’re older.

For the most part, companies using a teen job finder service to recruit workers are not going to expect you to have a resume. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have one. Putting together a basic, clean, well organized resume will make you stand out from the competition (since very few entry level employees have one). And it will greatly increase your chances of getting the job through a teen job finder site.

> On your teen job finder resume, don’t use crazy fonts and colors. Stick with Arial or Times New Roman and black & white.

> If you have a weird or wacky email address change it to something simple, basic, and professional. The person reviewing your teen job finder profile will notice.

> Make sure the greeting on your voicemail is basic, simple, and professional. If a potential employer spots you on a teen job finder site, and calls to ask you in for an interview, you don’t want them to be turned off or offended by your goofy voicemail recording.

> Don’t try to be funny on your resume. While most people appreciate humor, it is almost universally inappropriate when applying for a job. Show respect for the person you’re applying to by taking the teen job finder process seriously.

> Don’t lie on your resume. Having reviewed thousands of resumes in my career, I can tell you it’s easy to spot a liar. And liars don’t make it very far. Just be honest.

> Spell Check! Spell Check! Spell Check! Proofread! Proofread! Proofread! Then Spell Check Again! – Spelling mistakes, using the wrong words, grammar mistakes, and general errors on your teen job finder resume are bad news. This lack of attention to detail on a document as important as your resume makes a potential employer wonder what details you’ll overlook and what mistakes you’ll make while you’re on the job. Carefully review your resume, and have someone else review it too, before you submit it to any teen job finder listings.

> When an employer picks you from a teen job finder site, they’ll either call you or email you. Reply as soon as possible and, if you have to leave them a message, be polite, professional, and be sure to clearly leave your full name and telephone number. (Repeat the number twice to be sure it’s not garbled on the recording.)

Your resume for teen job finder sites should look something like this. (Obviously, you should change the details to match yours.):

I’m a student seeking a summer job where my high energy, superior people skills, communication skills, leadership abilities, cleanliness & neatness, organization skills, and positive attitude will add tremendous value. I would also like to gain experience and contacts that will be helpful to me in my future career.

As a teen job finder or seeker you’re going to need to understand that, in order to succeed, you have to offer something of value to the company that hires you. No company, that I know of, wants to just give people a paycheck for doing nothing or hanging around and goofing off. So think about what you can do that will be worth money to the employers posting jobs on the teen job finder sites.

Are you well spoken and well groomed with an excellent personality that will impress customers, make them happy, and create an experience that makes them want to come back and spend more money? The teen job finder employers want to know this.

Do you have a specific skill like typing, web design, taking care of children, repairing bicycles, decorating cakes, data entry, creating spreadsheets, dancing, singing, rappelling, white water rafting, or something else? Make sure you point this out to the employers listed on the teen job finder sites.

Are you certified for something special like being a lifeguard, scuba-diving, operating special machines or tools, or more? A special certification like this moves you up in the ranking on the teen job finder sites.

Are you good at cleaning? Almost all jobs require some kind of cleaning. From grocery baggers to bank vice presidents, we all have to keep a clean work space or it will hurt our job performance. So become a neat-freak and get good at it. It will help you move up in your job and teen job finders want to know that you understand this, so tell them.

Companies using a teen job finder resource want you to have energy, a nice happy personality, a positive attitude, and a willingness to get your hands dirty (when necessary). They also want you to show up on-time (not 2 minutes late), be ready to work (it’s no good if you’re on-time but then it takes you 15 minutes to put on your uniform – come ready), and work your full shift (too many employees find some reason to leave a few minutes early – trust me, the boss notices and those folks will not be getting a raise any time soon).

If you can demonstrate, up-front, that you understand these things and that by investing money in you the teen job finder company will improve their business, then you will get the job. And if you remember these things and put them into action on the job, then you will be more successful, make more money, and be happier with your job.